Everything Horses and Livestock® Magazine Nov 2017 Vol 2 Issue 4

Everything Horses and Livestock Magazine ®

Equus Magazine January 2013 shares these simple horse expressions of thoughts, ideas and feelings; 1. Ears Forward - Alert, paying attention or inter- ested in what’s in front of him. 2. Ears pinned back close to the neck - Angry and about to bite or kick 3. Ears turned out to side - Relaxed or dozing and not attuned to what is going on around him. Be careful not to startle this horse as he may react by kicking when abruptly awakened. 4. Ears turned back (not pinned) Listening to something behind him and deciding whether to stay or run. 5. Ears rapidly swiveling - Ears flicking back and forth may indicate a heightened state of anxiety, alertness or an overload of stimuli. Deciding to stay, run or “blow up” cross his mind here also. As always, pay attention to your horse’s behav- iors. Learn how to reinforce positive behaviors and how to reverse negative ones. If necessary see a professional trainer. Consult your veterinarian to determine normal and abnormal behaviors. Check out the February 2018 Equifest Issue of EHAL for a new question in “What’s Under Your Hat?” ~ Janice Pack

How Do Horses Communicate with their Ears? Communication makes the world go around. The exchange of information connects people to people or places. Such connections could serve the common good or not. People use words, sounds, signs and be- haviors to communicate their ideas, thoughts and feelings to others, (positive or negative) Animals communicate in much the same manner minus the use of words. Horses “talk” to us in vari- ous ways. As caregivers, we need to pay attention and understand what our equine friends tell us. Much communication come from the horse’s ears.

Everything Horses and Livestock® | November 2017 | EHALmagazine.com 28